The risk of a data breach is higher than ever and still, not many people realise that your emails can be a breach of GDPR!
All it takes is for someone to forward an email containing sensitive data to unwanted 3rd parties and bada bing, bada boom, you’re in breach.
(there are other ways your email can breach GDPR – check those out here)
So, how do you solve this?
GDPR Email Security in the Data Protection Era
Small and micro-business owners or entrepreneurs aren’t exempt from GDPR and they must still find solutions that will make them compliant.
While large enterprises have the means to implement the newest security measures easily, smaller businesses and entrepreneurs just don’t often have access to the right technology.
The simplest way to protect the data is to encrypt your email so you retain control over all data you send. Encryption ensures that only the contents of your email are accessible by the right recipient. If somebody else gets it by mistake or because it was forwarded, they won’t be able to read the contents.
The alternative is having a ‘Do Not Forward’ function on that prohibits the receiver from forwarding the email in the first place. Best case, you have both in place for full protection
How to Encrypt Your Email Messages
You can do this with Microsoft Azure Information Protection (AIP), which helps businesses classify and protect emails and other documents with a labelling system.
This system can even automatically detect sensitive data when configured correctly. With AIP, only the rightful recipient can read the email, and they won’t be able to forward it to anyone.
Unfortunately, this solution can be pricey for smaller businesses and the tool is focused towards the larger enterprises.
Smaller businesses and entrepreneurs need to look elsewhere.
My Protected Mail Helps You Keep Email Data Confidential
This is where My Protected Mail can help you here. This solution is similar to AIP but specifically focuses on providing services to small businesses, micro-businesses, and individuals. My Protected Mail offers encryption services (EaaS – encryption as a service) for your email communication. This benefits business owners because:
- My Protected Mail not only uses the same principle as AIP but also the same architecture – it’s powered by Microsoft 365 Azure Information Protection.
- The encryption process is automatic and super easy to use. When emailing through My Protected Mail, it will be encrypted automatically, giving you control over all data you are sending.
- Each email you send through the system is also automatically flagged as “Do not forward.” This ensures all contents of the email stay with the recipient and cannot be shared with other parties.
How to Use My Protected Mail to Encrypt Email Messages
My Protected Mail is a cloud-based solution and doesn’t require any additional software installation on your part; you just need to make a few changes in the way you send your email. Here’s how:
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- Instead of putting the recipient address into the recipient header, you will put [email protected] in there.
- The recipient email address goes to the Subject line instead.
- When you have finished writing your email, hit Send, and that’s it!
(Plus it works on whatever device or service you’re using so can work on a MAC too)
Sending Encrypted Email From a MAC
The recipient will get an email that will require an OTP (one-time passcode) to access the email. This passcode is received once the recipient clicks the link “Sign in with a one-time passcode.”
The best thing is you can try it out for free as the Free plan allows you to send up to fifteen emails per month and includes basic reply functionality (meaning you will continue the conversation protected).
